Mission 5
Recap: after Syd shows Trent the Dom'Kavash Artifact on the landing pad at Planet Manhattan, Syd is killed by a rogue Liberty officer who then holds Trent at gunpoint and attempts to kill Juni. Trent and Juni flee Manhattan with the artifact and are intercepted by the Battleship Unity and the Liberty Navy. Fortunately, Walker and King show up with the LNS Utah and Lambda Wing of the LSF to cover Juni and Trent's escape. Trent and Juni escape into the Badlands of the New York system and meet Dr. Hermann Van Pelt, a friend of Juni's, at Benford Station. Van Pelt suggests that Trent and Juni look for answers about their Artifact with a Bretonian xenoarchaeologist named Professor Roland Quintaine. Trent and Juni flee the station in advance of a Liberty patrol, and three Liberty Cruisers destroy Benford Station, killing Van Pelt. Trent and Juni flee to the Magellan system, and are protected for a short while by the Lane Hackers. After deciding to split up to avoid capture, Trent and Juni head into Bretonia space to lay low and find their scientist. Pre-Mission News ARE THERE CHANGES IN RHEINLAND?: News from the Foreign Office indicates that things may be heating up in Rheinland. Reports from the inside say that Rheinland citizens are being stirred up against Kusari by what are being described as "agitator groups". Meanwhile, the Chancellor has just announced that the military is now activating its reserve fighters to bolster homeland defense. Royal analysts have reported this information to the Queen and have advised her that Rheinland may be preparing for war. SHOTS FIRED ON BRETONIAN SOIL: Conflict broke out in Omega today as Rheinland ships, becoming ever bolder, opened fire on a nearby Bretonian patrol in the area. The Chancellor has said that the Rheinland blockade is only looking after Rheinland's interests in the area and claimed that they were provoked by Bretonian fighters. As tempers flare and peace hangs in the balance, Queen Carina contemplates her next move with her advisors. LORD QUIGLEY GUNNED DOWN: We are stunned by the news that Lord Arnold Benson Quigley, Foreign Minister to the Crown of Bretonia, has been found brutally murdered in his home. The Queen was informed and has firmly charged investigators to find those responsible. This is a duty, we are assured, they have solemnly accepted. Thus far there are no official suspects. However, an off-the-record source did say that they are not ruling out the work of The Order, who may be trying to derail the frail peace process in Sirius. QUEEN TO ATTEND SUMMIT: Despite Rheinland's recent aggressive stance and the assassination of Lord Quigley, the Curacao summit meeting is still set to proceed. In a surprise move, Queen Carina will now join President Jacobi and other representatives at the table, taking her cousin's place. Pre-Mission Rumors "Given all the tension with Rheinland lately, it was really creepy to see three Rheinlanders walking in the bar not too long ago. They were looking for two fugitives that are apparently on the run from Liberty authorities. I don't remember their names, but it was on the news not too long ago." - Harry Ford, Bretonia Police, Kingston Border Station "It's really getting out of control now. People are saying that Rheinland warships have been seen in just about every system in the colonies, and Niemann dares to deny any involvement of the Rheinland Military. Now it seems they are moving forces into the Border Worlds surrounding Rheinland. This is leading us straight into a war, if you ask me." - Dr. Lennie McBain, Planetform, Canterbury Station Pre-Mission 5 Tip: If you want to get a good cargo for cheap before heading off to complete your mission, consider mining some Gold by Graves Station in Dublin before heading to meet Juni at Planet Cambridge. A full hold of 30-35 Gold will net you over $16,000 credits: not bad! MISSION 5: CAMBRIDGE SYSTEM *Objective: Meet Juni on Planet Cambridge **Pre-Mission Log Entry: Looks like Juni finally found something. She sent me a message to meet her on Cambridge. Never liked going there -- just a bunch of stuffy bookworms. She says she had a lead on Professor Quintaine. I better get going. The less time I spend in Bretonia the better. Dialogue: Trent: Hey. Juni: I was wondering when you'd show. Trent: Did you find Quintaine? Juni: That's the thing: the good doctor has disappeared. Trent: You mean like the others? Juni: Nah, not like them. This one left a trail, but I'm gonna need your help, Trent. Are you with me? *Objective: Juni has a lead that might shed some light on the whereabouts of Professor Quintaine. He's the key to learning more about the alien artifact. Meeting Juni in the Bar on Cambridge, Trent and Juni speak with Professor Quintaine's assistant, Mr. Vance. Vance advises that the Professor left, but didn't leave word where he was going. However, he suggests that Trent and Juni check in with Dr. Sinclair, an associate of the Professor's. Vance assures Trent and Juni that it's no trouble to provide the info, and remarks that the Professor should be thrilled after months with no bites, and now both Juni and the Rheinlanders express interest within the same week. Dialogue: Trent: So I'm here. Count me in. Juni: Good! What do you know about Xeno-Archaeology? Trent: Not much, why? Juni: Just let me do the talking, and whatever you do, keep that artifact out of sight! I don't want a repeat performance of Manhattan... Trent: Anything else? Juni: Yeah. Bring the bottle. Juni: It's very nice of you to see us on such short notice, Mr. Vance! Vance: When you said in your message that you and Dr. Trent were with the Hammer Research Institute in Liberty, I could hardly refuse. It's not entirely unusual for Doctor Quintaine to miss an appointment, even one regarding funding. Juni: We understand, we made it quite a while ago. I'm just pleased the University put me in touch with you! Vance: I do a lot of work for Dr. Quintaine, shuttling people and equipment back and forth to his research sites. I'm sorry, usually I can find him, but... Trent: You mean you don't know where he is? He doesn't know where he is! Ouch! Vance: Aw, he hasn't been around for weeks. Probably doing deep research... he doesn't always tell us. Doctor Sinclair doesn't even know where he is. Have you spoken to her yet? Juni: No... Vance: She's been doing field work for the Professor for years. Juni: Has she? Do you think she'd mind if we looked her up? Vance: No - funding is what these scientists live for. Well, that and a little recognition, of course! Juni: Of course... can you tell us where Doctor Sinclair is now? Vance: Sprague. I'm afraid I can't get her a message, though: it's too far out. Juni: That's alright, we'll go to her! You've been very helpful, Mr. Vance; thank you! Vance: I think Doctor Sinclair will be quite pleased. Last week, nothing: this week, you and the Rheinlanders! Trent: What Rheinlanders? Vance: From the New Berlin Museum. They're also very interested in their work. You just missed 'em! Trent: Uh-oh... Juni: We gotta move! Get whatever you need here on Cambridge and meet me in space. Don't take too long... doctor. Trent: I won't... Vance: *snorts* Academics... *drinks* **Pre-Mission Log Entry: Well I flew all the way to Cambridge to hook up with Juni. I know she's trying to keep a low profile, and that sometimes means blending into public places, but jeez. I mean we always seem to meet in bars. And, no surprise -- the Professor has disappeared. It feels like a curse -- anyone we're trying to find either dies, is on the run, or magically disappears. In this case, however, Juni found a trail that might give us a chance to find Quintaine: a guy named Vance -- he's a pilot that used to help Quintaine get to the various archaeological dig sites throughout the Border Worlds. He's not too smart and way too much in love with the bottle to be totally reliable, but he seemed trustworthy. Juni had told him that we were working for the Hammer Research Institute in Liberty and that we were interested in funding some of the Professor's research. That certainly opened some doors. Vance told us that the Professor sometimes disappears for weeks without telling anyone. That's good news -- he might still be alive. Vance pointed us to a Dr. Sinclair, who has been working closely with Quintaine for years. She's working on a dig site on Planet Sprague not too far from here in the Omega 3 system. Then, at the very end of the conversation, Vance told us that a group of Rheinlanders also came by today looking for the Professor. They claimed to be from the New Berlin Museum -- fat chance. We have to hurry. If they get to Sinclair before we do, it's over. Juni is waiting in space above Cambridge. Mid-Mission Rumors "People say you're looking for Quintaine? Be careful, it looks like the Professor has some powerful enemies. His lab has been destroyed and nobody has either seen or heard from the Professor in weeks. I fear the worst." - Cambridge Bartender Galen Warren "I've heard that you're looking for Doctor Roland Quintaine. I've known him for over twenty years. He's an emeritus Professor of Archaeology and Pre-Human Colonization at Cambridge University. His main interest for the last twenty years has been the study of Alien Artifacts. Many people consider him the foremost authority in that field. I haven't seen him in a few weeks, but I'm sure he's crawling around some ruins somewhere in the Border Worlds." - Constable Charles Simms, Bretonia Police, Planet Cambridge "We heard a unit of Rheinlanders razed Sprague not too long ago! I don't get it! There was nothing out there but a bunch of snooty archaeologists? What could Rheinland possibly gain by razing such a remote planet?" - Captain Amy Jolie, Bretonia Police, Planet Cambridge "All the Bounty Hunters in Bretonia are looking for an LSF officer -- her name is Jun'ko Zane. I don't know what crime she committed, but the Liberty government has placed a bounty of 1 million credits on her head! That's retirement right there! Let me know if you ever run into her, and I'll split the bounty with you." - Captain Amy Jolie, Bretonia Police, Planet Cambridge "I've heard that you're working for the Hammer Research Institute and that you're flying out to the research site on Sprague. I was just over in Omega 3 a few days ago. It's actually not far from here at all - take the Trade Lane to the Norfolk and from there to the Omega 3 Gate. I would then fly up to Freeport 1 and cut over to Sprague from there. But let me warn you, be careful out there, Rheinland ships have been seen all over that system in the last few days." - Ronald Madden, Gateway Shipping, Planet Cambridge "Are you with this woman Jun'ko Zane? She's been sniffing around here for a while looking for Professor Quintaine. Let me tell you, you have to be careful. Even the walls have ears on this planet. There have been some strange people looking for the Professor lately. Just a few hours ago, some rather suspicious Rheinlanders were asking for him. They said they were from the New Berlin Museum, but they didn't look much like scientists, if you ask me." - Bowex Rep Dennis Downs, Planet Cambridge "Did you hear? Baxter Research Station just got blown to bits! I can't believe it myself, I used to work there. I heard it was the Rheinlanders, but I think that some people are just exaggerating. Who would have seen it anyway? That station has been abandoned for years, and there's no reason to go out there except to blow it up." ''- Cambridge Bartender Galen Warren ''"Cloaking devices? Bah, fairy tales. Years of research went into that lost cause. I think they actually did manage to get it working at one point, but the power it took was that of 10 battleship cores! I bet if you could manage to cut that down by 4 orders of magnitude you could put it on a ship, but I don't know if of any human technology existing that could do that." - Ronald Madden, Gateway Shipping, Planet Cambridge "I saw you talking to Vance earlier. That guy used to be one of the best combat pilots around here, but he's totally washed up now. All he does nowadays is shuttle people from planet to planet, and whatever money he makes, he uses to buy this terrible Sidewinder Fang stuff." - Constable Charles Simms, Bretonia Police, Planet Cambridge "Vance just told me that you're looking for Professor Quintaine. I've been working for the professor for seven years. I just took on this job as a bartender because the professor disappeared without a trace a few weeks ago. I have been keeping my head down ever since. Someone is after the professor, but I don't know who. Our lab has been destroyed and all of the professor's papers have disappeared. If you find him, tell him that his staff went into hiding, but that most of us are alright." - Cambridge Bartender Galen Warren MISSION 5: CAMBRIDGE SYSTEM *Objective: Juni has a lead that might shed some light on the whereabouts of Professor Quintaine. He's the key to learning more about the alien artifact. *Objective: Meet Juni in space above Planet Cambridge **Log Entry: I rendezvoused with Juni above Cambridge. She has already plotted the course to Sprague. It's not very far. We'll have to take the Trade Lane from here to the Norfolk and from there to the Omega 3 system. Once there, the quickest way is to fly to Freeport 1 and cut over to Sprague from there. The planet lies beyond the trade routes and is a bit remote, but overall the trip doesn't seem too bad. The only issues are these damn Rheinlanders. Hopefully, we'll find the Professor first. *Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane - this Trade Lane ends at the Battleship Norfolk. **Log Entry: We just passed the Norfolk. Sounds like the conflict between Bretonia and Rheinland is escalating. We have to be careful. The Norfolk says that no Rheinland ships have been seen in Omega-3 yet. Maybe we're lucky. *Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane - this Trade Lane ends at the Omega 3 Jump Gate. *Objective: Take the Jump Gate to the Omega 3 system. MISSION 5: OMEGA 3 SYSTEM *Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane - this Trade Lane ends at Freeport 1. *Objective: Fly to Planet Sprague. Be on the lookout for Rheinland ships in the area. Juni: "This situation is really getting out of control now. A blockade in Omega-7??? Rheinland is now in direct violation of the Boorman Treaty! The Colonies haven't been this close to an open military conflict since the 80 Years War between Rheinland and the GMG." At approximately 2.7 K from the Sprague docking ring, Trent and Juni are jumped by four Rheinland Valkyries that decloak between them and Sprague. *Objective: Destroy the Rheinland ships. **Log Entry: What the HELL?! These Rheinland ships came out of nowhere! Just as we were approaching Sprague a number of them just uncloaked directly in front of us. We managed to destroy them, but it was close. I hope they didn't get to Sinclair before we did. We have to land as quickly as possible. *Objective: Dock with Planet Sprague. Dialogue: Juni: Those ships came out of nowhere. Looked like some sort of cloaking technology! Not even the Liberty Navy has ever managed to get those to work! The dig site isn’t on any of the charts. We’re gonna have to search for it. Trent: Let’s hope it’s still there, and that the Rheinlanders didn’t find it already. Juni: I’m getting a faint signal… must be the dig site! Hold on… yes, I think that’s it! Looks like they had to excavate inside this rock formation to get to the digsite. Activating landing sequence… this must be the entrance: I’m going in! Trent: No lights, no radio contact… this doesn’t feel right! Juni: Let’s hope for the best. Maybe they’re all digging for artifacts and don’t even know we’re coming. <Trent and Juni get out of ships, meet on landing pad, are greeted by silence> Juni: Do you think we’re too late? Trent: We have to find Sinclair and get the hell outta here! <Trent and Juni are standing in a room with Doctor Sinclair> Sinclair: ...And you say you got this where, exactly? Juni: A thief, on Manhattan. He was killed because of it, and now those same people are after us. We were told you could help. Sinclair: Look around you, Ms. Zane. You are standing in the living history of the Dom'Kavash: a race that predates early man by at least ten million years. Up until recently, relatively speaking, they were the inhabitants of much of our new home here in Sirius. I've been working for years to piece together fragments of their past: their culture, technology, language, anything! These panels here have been the core of my research. They've shed light on some of their writings, but thanks to this piece I'm close to unlocking their code! Yes, I know quite a lot about this artifact. But not why anyone would want to kill for it. Trent: Know anything about cloaking Rheinland ships? Sinclair: Mr. Trent, I am a scientist: I deal in facts, not fiction! Trent: Well, you'd better listen to the facts! A lot of people have died because of this trinket. There's something going on in the Colonies: people are being killed. Others are disappearing, like your colleague, Doctor Quintaine! Sinclair: Quintaine hasn't disappeared, he's a recluse! Trent: He's gone under, that's what I think! And a man like him only goes under for a very good reason. I think he knew too much! Sinclair: This is ridiculous! Juni: Is it? We find out Rheinland has an active interest in your research, and when we get here, we're attacked by Rheinland ships using a technology I have never seen before! Still not enough of a connection for you? How about that friends of mine, trusted people in the Liberty military assigned to stop illegal Artifact smuggling are gone, like they were never there! Maybe they knew too much, too: they just didn't see it coming, like Quintaine! Well, I do, and you should too! Trent: And with him gone, that only leaves you. Juni: I figure those ships are coming back here soon, and there's no telling what else they're bringing. You, doctor, can be a live scientist on the run, or a dead one in the ground: which'll it be? Sinclair: I'm not leaving without my work! Besides: how do I know you aren't the enemy? <Sinclair is interrupted by her assistant> Male Assistant: Doctor! We've got over a dozen ships on our screen! I don't know what kind: we didn't see them coming! Juni: I told you they were coming back! Sinclair: Pack up what you can and send the others to their ships! Male Assistant: Yes, Doctor! Sinclair: Alright, I'm with you! Trent: C'mon, we've gotta go! Male Assistant: Doctor! The panels have been loaded into Mr. Trent's hold! Sinclair: Good - get clear while you can! Trent: They'll tear this place apart! Juni: C'mon! *Objective: The Rheinlanders have found you. Get Sinclair to safety. **Log Entry: We found Sinclair, but just as we talked to her, the Rheinlanders attacked the dig site. How do they know where we are all the time? A good part of that blockade must've been waiting for us. They blew up the docking ring on the way out. Sinclair says she knows of a place nearby. This is gonna be close. Trent, Juni, and Sinclair are attacked by three Rheinland Gunboats and five Valkyrie heavy fighters. Sinclair suggests escaping into the "Nebula" in the Graham Ice Cloud. *Objective: Flee from Planet Sprague. *Objective: Fly to the Waypoint Coordinates. You have to get Sinclair out of here. Flee to the Nebula! *Objective: Fly to Baxter Research Station. Baxter Station should be a good place for you to hide. *Objective: Dock with Baxter Research Station. At this point, Sinclair suggests that the trio hide at Baxter Research Station, located inside the Graham Ice Field "nebula" located at the western edge of grid coordinates C5 in Omega 3. A bright flaring object hangs in space near the station, much like at Benford Research Station in the Badlands of the New York system. In fact, why does Juni so easily accept Sinclair's plan to hide in a station so close to Sprague, and so soon after the last battle with the Rheinlanders? Didn't an old friend of hers get killed the last time we tried something like that? Oh well... at least Baxter gives you a chance to reload and rearm, along with a cutscene. Dialogue: Trent: I think we've managed to shake them for now. Juni: I hope you're right! Sinclair: Do you ever get tired of this? Trent: The running and fighting? Sinclair: No, this... Trent: To tell you the truth, I don't even pay attention anymore. Sinclair: It's a view like this that got me into Xenoarchaeology in the first place! I thought, 'if the Universe exists for eons, but I can only exist for a brief moment in time...' I wondered what a more ancient race'' must've thought of it. I wanted to live through ''them. If you're right and Quintaine has hidden himself... that means he's still out there somewhere... *base alarm klaxon rings* What's that? Juni: They've found us! We've got to get out of here! Sinclair: Where? Where are we going? Trent: To Leeds! I have a friend there: c'mon! *Objective: There's no hiding from the Rheinlanders this time. You have to fight your way out. The station is exploding around you. You'll be lucky to live through this. *Objective: Meet Juni and Sinclair in space outside Baxter Research Station. *Objective: Destroy the Rheinland ships. **Log Entry: Don't know how we got out of there alive. I'll give the Rheinlanders one thing -- they're persistent -- annoying, but persistent. As always, another station I set foot on blows up. I'm really beginning to hate space, but I'm not about to die out here in the middle of nowhere. If I'm going down, I'm taking a few of those guys with me. At this point, Trent, Juni and Sinclair must fight six Rheinland Valkyries and a Rheinland Gunboat outside the destroyed station. *Objective: Fly to the Cambridge Jump Hole. *Objective: Take the Jump Hole to the Cambridge system. MISSION 5: CAMBRIDGE SYSTEM *Objective: Fly to the Trade Lane. In-Flight Dialogue Sinclair: So tell me, why did you come looking for me? Surely not just to return the artifact to me? Juni: Doctor, ever since Trent came into possession of the artifact, we've been hunted. First by the Liberty Navy and Bounty Hunters, now Rheinlanders. Everybody seems to be after it, and we don't even know what it is! A friend told us Professor Quintaine might be able to shed some light on this. Sinclair: And Quintaine has disappeared? Juni: His lab was destroyed; the only lead we could find was your pilot, Vance. He told us where to find you. We need to know what this artifact is, and why everyone is after it. Sinclair: No idea. I found it on Planet Pygar and knew immediately that it was of great archaeological significance. I was scheduled to fly to Cambridge to get Professor Quintaine's expert opinion, but then the artifact was stolen and I didn't even go to Cambridge. I actually haven't seen the Professor in years... Juni: Damn. I guess the best thing we can do is fly to Leeds and regroup. At this point, Trent, Juni and Sinclair are stopped by two decloaking Rheinland Valkyries piloted by Jochen Weidemann and Holger Schmidt. In-Flight Dialogue: Juni: Damn, they found us - Trent: engage! Holger: STOP! Do not open fire: we mean you no harm! We're here to warn you. Juni: Why should we trust you? Holger: Because we have deserted from Rheinland. Our squadron opened fire on us after we disobeyed orders to destroy a civilian transport. We had no choice but to flee. The Rheinland Military is watching all exits out of this system! You have an artifact they want and they know that you’re here in Cambridge. Juni: Why are you telling us this? Holger: Survival: we need you as much as you need us. We’re heading to a jump hole which will take us directly to Leeds. It will be watched, but they aren’t guarding it well because very few people know about it. Together, we might be able to fight our way through. Sinclair: I believe them. Juni: Fine. We're coming with you. *Objective: Follow Rheinlanders to the Leeds Jump Hole. **For a scientist, Sinclair is a damn good pilot, but she's a sad judge of character. So two Rheinland "defectors" just happen to cross our path and are kind enough to just show us the way out. Riiight. Why am I always the only one who picks up on this stuff? We just about got killed a few minutes ago by these same guys, and we're all of a sudden following them around? In-Flight Dialogue: Sinclair: What's the plan? Holger: Our wing was outfitted with cloaking devices: strange looking things. They're part of a secret Rheinland weapons program. We'll cloak ourselves before we reach the jump hole. They will think that you're an easy target; but we'll give them a little surprise... Juni: Damn! The jump hole is blocked by a battleship: what do we do? Holger: We'll take care of the battleship. Maintain radio silence... *Objective: Wait for Rheinlanders to make Torpedo Run. In-Flight Dialogue Battleship Wotan: Commander Zane, Mr. Trent, we've been looking for you! Hand over the artifact and we will spare your lives. *waits four seconds* Have it your way. All fighter wings, engage: target their engines! It's a trap! Incoming torpedoes, evasive maneuvers! We're hit! All hands, abandon ship! At this point, Trent, Juni, Sinclair, Holger and Jochen must fight five remaining Valkyrie fighters. As the odds are even, the fight should be easy. *Objective: Destroy the Rheinland ships. **Log Entry: The Battleship Wotan. I've heard stories about it, but I've never seen it in person. Rheinland is being more than bold, bringing heavy capital ships this close to Bretonia and awfully close to home. I didn't believe those two defectors at first, but after watching them take out that battleship, I'm guessing things aren't exactly picture perfect in the Fatherland. Well, tie to get back to Leeds. Bet Tobias can't wait to see what followed me home this time. *Objective: Take the Jump Hole to the Leeds system. MISSION 5: LEEDS SYSTEM In-Flight Dialogue: Juni: We made it! Thank you for your help. Holger: You're welcome! But this isn't the end of it. Something has happened in Rheinland, and I'm afraid the worst is yet to come. We'll fly to the Norfolk and give ourselves up. Hopefully someone in the Bretonian military will believe our story. Good luck to you! Juni: The Trade Lane to Leeds is near. We should go. Sinclair: Who are we meeting on Leeds? Juni: An old friend of Trent's. This should be interesting... Sinclair: I can't believe we made it through all of this... thank you! Juni: Don't mention it. Land on Leeds: we'll meet in the equipment room. *Objective: Fly to the Trade Lane. *Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane. *Objective: Dock with Planet Leeds. Dialogue Tobias: Trent, where have you been? I've been worried about you! ...But I see you've been in good company! Trent: Juni, meet Tobias. Tobias: Richard Winston Tobias Esquire, dear lady... Trent: Tobias sort of, uh, raised me... Juni: And from such humble beginnings your head grew to its present size? Sinclair: We're all clear; nobody followed us. Trent: Good! Tobias: And who do we have here? Another girl? *laughs* Tell me, boy, what have you been doing? Trent: Tobias, we need a safe place to lay low for a while. Juni: Doctor, can you decipher the writing on the artifact? Sinclair: I can do most of it, but not alone. I need Quintaine... Trent: Damn... Juni: Like it or not, Trent, if we're going to get some answers, I think we're going to have to find Quintaine. Trent: I knew you were going to say that... Juni: Look, this may take some time. Sinclair will do everything she can with her work, and I'll dig around for any leads on Quintaine. You try and scare up some business; we could probably use the credits. Anyway, I can't have you lounging around here like a big ox waiting for things to happen... ...WHAT? Tobias: I can't remember when I ever saw such a vision of loveliness... Juni: Oh, brother... Tobias: **Ending Log Entry: Leeds -- home sweet home. At least I know that no matter how bad thigns get, I can always come back to this bustling brown haven. At least we have a solid lead now, which I'm sure will send us right back into the fire. Well, at least I can breathe for a little and run around the old stomping grounds a bit. Tobias seemed enthralled with my new "friends." He really hasn't changed one bit. Post-Mission Rumors "I just heard the Battleship Wotan was destroyed! Wasn't that the flagship of the West Rheinland Fleet? Wow, I wonder how that happened. There aren't enough military forces combined to take on a capital ship of that class." - Bill Sysco, Planetform, Planet Leeds Post-Mission News SHOOTING AT CURACAO, QUEEN SAFE -- In breaking news, shots rang out at the summit meeting on Curacao, leaving one security officer dead. Fortunately, the delegates were safely evacuated, and the lone gunman was taken alive before further lives were lost. Authorities believe that his intended target was Gunther Obst, the Rheinland representative. Though the assassin's identity has not been released, authorities have confirmed his ties to The Order. The Queen was unharmed in this altercation and remains under tight security. WHO KILLED LORD QUIGLEY? -- As national mourning continues for Lord Quigley, so does the manhunt for those responsible for his murder. Authorities, still tight-lipped about their investigation, have recently ruled out the involvement of many domestic suspects. This only further fuels local speculation that The Order may be directly responsible for Quigley's death. However, we are told that this might not necessarily be the case. Based on new evidence, investigators are examining a host of foreign leads in an effort to find Quigley's killers before they can act again. DISAPEARANCES TROUBLE HO -- Today in the Home Office, a report stated that missing persons cases are at their highest in years. Compared to other population centers in the galaxy, Bretonia has often been considered one of the more peaceful, and so these numbers are thought to be erroneous. The Home Office has asked for a recount and more information before it officially publishes its statistics. BALLENSHINE WAS MURDERED -- Despite Liberty's official statement that James Ballenshine died of "natural causes," several entries in his sealed autopsy report detail certain anomalies. In information leaked to our press, it was noted that for a man who reportedly died of a heart attack, Mr. Ballenshine was in fact missing his heart altogether, as well as his eyes and his brain. These gruesome details were apparently ommitted from Liberty's records. However, they now indicate that Mr. Ballenshine was just another unfortunate victim in a wave of recent high-profile murders. CONTACT LOST WITH REMOTE TEAM -- Communication was lost today with a Cambridge University-sponsored archaeological dig in the Border Worlds. University officials showed some concern, but in the absence of an emergency broadcast, they believe that the older communication equipment at the site must have failed. A repair crew will be dispatched to repair the problem. RHEINLAND DEFECTORS? -- Reportedly, two individuals claiming to have information about the radical and sudden changes inside the Rheinland political machine have approached Bretonian authorities here at home. Requesting asylum and political protection, these people, whose names have been withheld, claim to have barely escaped a Rheinland death squad. As farfetched as it may sound, it seems our government has taken these individuals very seriously. They are currently being held in a secure location and have been granted an audience with the Home Secretary. Next Up: Mission 6 Trent must fly to the Dublin system to meet Dexter Hovis and find Quintaine! Category:Missions